


and the universe said I love you

by ArceusTheCat



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A truly happy ending, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, SAVE GOATBRO AND SKELEDAD FOREVER, Title from Minecraft's end poem, hugs for everyone!, i wrote this in 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 01:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16903506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArceusTheCat/pseuds/ArceusTheCat
Summary: One player isn't satisfied with most of the monsters being freed. All of them deserve to see the stars.





	and the universe said I love you

**Author's Note:**

> I dug this up from my drive and apparently the last day I wrote for it was Valentine's day 2016 by some strange coincidence. Title from the Minecraft end poem but I've been out of Minecraft so long I have no idea if it's even there anymore but OH WELL, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FORGET TO POST FIC!

Some things can’t be analyzed as data. Some things you just have to feel. Sights, sounds, smells… All these are data gotten from the outside world.

Something didn’t feel right in Waterfall. Something, or rather someone, felt lonely. The cold loneliness gradually builds up along a long corridor that shouldn’t exist that leads to a space beyond what can be known for sure.

Being the kind of human that they are, Frisk had to investigate. No one could be left sorrowful by the time they were done. They knew all too well the realities of sadness. A profound sadness that they would later know as depression led them to this mountain in the first place. After all that Toriel had done for them after knowing them only for moments made the biggest difference in their life. They felt the aching void in their heart and knew what to do about it at last. Support comes from the strangest places sometimes… but being so grateful to be shown happiness once again, Frisk doesn’t really care anymore. Anyone who is nice to them deserves to be happy.

So far, every single monster that they encountered is relatively friendly. Sure, there are some bullies, but all they needed was someone to listen to them for once. Seeing life in extremes brings Frisk to the conclusion that all monsters are kind.

They silently thank whatever force brought them to land on those golden flowers instead of stone.

Suddenly, that long corridor feels a little less cold now.

-()-

Sans seems to be the monster that understands Frisk the best. They could tell from the moment they laid eyes on the stout skeleton that they felt similar things. What would make Sans feel the way Frisk did when they “fell” down the mountain? They were determined to find out. Nobody here deserved to feel like that. Especially not Sans. They feel a special kind of bond between them, after all. Sans is also the one who understands the hands-speak the best. For some reason that seems to bring out something else… guilt? Reminiscence? Sorrow? It’s hard to tell with him. There’s so many different emotions that radiate off. Frisk wishes that they could speak like a normal person, since the hands-speak seems to bring out some more subtle negative emotions.

Sans, you can’t hide your secrets forever from a determined kid.

[Hey Sans?]

[what’s up, kiddo?]

[There’s a strange spot in Waterfall that feels… lonely… I don’t ever see anyone else there, so it’s all empty besides this big grey door.]

Eye sockets furrow. What? Did they sign something wrong?

[I want to go investigate it today.]

[let me come with you.]

[I was just about to ask!]

That earns a little snicker. Good, looks like Sans is back to usual for now at least. Frisk can’t help but giggle a little in return. It’s always so nice to hear Sans laughing.

They head off to Waterfall. This has to be Frisk’s favourite spot in the underground. Phosphorescent crystals, rivers and the glowing echo flowers make it a peaceful and beautiful place. No wonder why monsters wish on these crystals, they’re just like the stars above ground! Maybe even more beautiful! Soon enough, they reach the long corridor not marked on any map.

[you’re right. something feels off here.]

[I want them to be happy. I want them to know that they’re not alone. I think they’re beyond that door... ]

Holding Sans’ hand fills them with determination. They slowly open the mysterious grey door to a mysterious grey room and in the middle is… another skeleton? Slightly goopy, sure, but that looks like a skull. Sans freezes in place.

[Something wrong?]

No response. That lonely feeling is definitely coming from the black-and-white monster in the middle. Time to reach out. The mysterious monster is looking away, so Frisk taps their foot to get their attention.

The skeleton looks like their whole face melted partially and cracks run up from the eye sockets. What happened to them…?

[Hello. My name is Frisk and this is Sans.]

As the monster got a better look at their visitors, their eye sockets go wide before vanishing into the greyness. At last, Sans awakens from his shock to stand beside Frisk.

[kid… how did you find this place…?]

[It felt like someone was lonely and somehow I could follow that feeling until it led here. Why? Do you know that monster?]

A sigh.

[i think… you just found pap’s and my dad…]

Dad? That was their dad? Almost instantly Frisk gives Sans a tight hug. Their dad was so nice to them and him leaving… was really hard to say the least. They hung on for a while but now they’re in the underground with monsters everywhere instead of people. That should say enough. An understanding arises.

That monster was lonely and sad because he had to leave behind his sons. Frisk had no doubt that their father felt the same way when he had to leave. Places of health became places of death ever since then. Nobody would tell them that their dad died but… they knew. They weren’t nearly as naive as people thought. They know what happens when people get really old or sick.

A moment later, Sans uses one of his famous shortcuts to get back home. Holding Frisk’s hand, he heads up to his room.

[if you could sense him then that means there’s something special about you.]

[Special?]

[after the… accident… everybody seemed to forget about him besides me. i don’t know why but it’s probably got to deal with all kinds of stuff you probably wouldn’t understand anyway.]

[You mean… that I’m able to come back after something hurts me badly…? The power to SAVE?]

Realization flashes in the pinpricks of light in Sans’ eye sockets. So the kid does know about it. Time stopping and starting, going back and forth, becoming well, a wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey mess.

[yeah. our dad was doing some research on that kind of stuff. i helped him, too. we found this big anomaly in time. maybe if we could use it, monsters wouldn’t ever be trapped.]

Pain is radiating off of Sans. It only takes a moment for Frisk to dive into a full-body hug. Thankfully, they aren’t deaf, so Sans can continue telling the story despite being pretty tied up in kid.

“dr. gaster was fascinated by the anomaly. it’s almost like he knew it’d be the answer after all this time to freedom. we started making machines to detect it better, maybe even isolate what it was. we got really close but didn’t have enough power to capture it. that’s why the core was made. in the end… we never found what the anomaly was and…”

Sans breaks down into sobs. Something happened. Some experiment went wrong. All that Frisk can do is tighten their hug and do their best to support their best friend. They knew that he needed this. Goodness knows how much they needed someone to lean on once father was gone…

A long while passes like this, but neither party seems to mind. It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up. A whole bunch of sadness was released all at once from each. Frisk hadn’t allowed themselves to cry for the longest time, wanting to be a stalwart pillar, but something about knowing that Sans is in a similar situation takes their guard down and for the first time in months, they cry with him.

“thanks kiddo. looks like both you and i needed that.”

Frisk nods with a genuine smile. Now that they more about each other, they can continue on stronger than ever before. Somewhere far off, a true smile forms on a face missing it for so long. Frisk sits up besides Sans on the dirty mattress.

[I’m going to help you just like you’ve helped me.]

[dunno what can be done but you’ve done some pretty amazing stuff already. if anyone can help me, it’s you.]

[Everything is going tibia alright!]

Soon the house is filled only with the sound of laughter.

-()-

Something told Frisk to go back to the mysterious grey room. Something important was there that had been overlooked previously. It wasn’t the first time that there was a sense that something needed to be done today. That same something told Frisk not to be afraid of the monsters. Told them that all they needed to do was smile and listen to their problems. It even helped calm Frisk’s fears during the fight against Undyne and reminded them that sometimes running away was the best option. Frisk hasn’t told anyone about this feeling… although Sans might know something about it. He always seems to know about the strange things. Regardless, this something has never been wrong before, so off to Waterfall once more.

Lying in the middle of the room was a small white object. It looked almost like a shard of pottery and felt smooth. Frisk picks it up and places it in their pocket. This must be important if the something told them about it. It’s then when they realize that the feeling of discomfort strengthens somewhere far off… Hotland, maybe? It feels similar to the feeling that led them to this room. Maybe there’s another place that shouldn’t exist and another hint to making everyone happy in Hotland? It’s worth investigating, at least. Frisk doesn’t need that mysterious other force to know that finding some way to bring back Gaster would make both Sans and him very happy.

-()-

It’s easy to see why Hotland got its name. With all the steam and lava about the place, it’s downright sweltering! How some monsters can live here is beyond Frisk. Sure, volcanoes make sense, but what about those armored monsters? Aren’t they just boiling in their armor? Frisk is glad that Sans let them borrow one of his shirts to wear. They don’t know what they’d do in their striped sweater! Regardless, they press on to find whoever’s feeling down.

That’s strange… a glass bridge? Must be to see the lava better. The kid has to admit that there’s something mesmerizing about the molten rock flowing beneath them. This bridge isn’t marked anywhere so it must lead to the next area that shouldn’t exist. Careful not to look down as they cross, Frisk makes it over to the other side. Everything goes from shades of red to solid light grey. This is it. A black blob is once again in the middle of the room. They stomp to get his attention and are greeted by a familiar face. This time he seems more… stable? Definitely a little less goopy. That’s probably a good sign. He still seems confused about why Frisk is able to get here, much less see him, but a little less so now.

[Hello again.]

Two shaky hands with holes in the middle arise from the goo. Good, he can understand them! Not all of the monsters around know how to talk with hands, but at least Frisk has mastered pantomime previously.

[Why…? Why can you get here?]

[I don’t know. Sans says that I might be even more special than he thought at first so maybe that?]

[Something or someone must be helping you. Something… that is strong.]

A whisper on the wind says something inaudible. Frisk can sense something else coming into the room but when they turn around, there’s nothing there. Gaster has also vanished, but another small white object is left behind. They feel a strong urge to collect it and do.

Who is responsible for the little hints and encouragement when nobody is around? If Gaster can sense them too, then it must be someone important.

-()-

Asgore’s castle isn’t too far away now. The capitol surrounds it with layer after layer of grey buildings. It’s a rather intimidating sight. Frisk isn’t ready yet. The guiding presence knows this and the light feeling of a hug from invisible arms across their chest lets them know that they can take as long as they need to. What lies ahead may very well be the future of humans and monsters alike.

All of this responsibility thrust upon a child. A child who simply wished to vanish because they had no more hope left for their life. Destiny had other plans and now that child felt more loved than they knew what to do with.

So what if they looked like fish, dinosaurs, goats and skeletons? They were their best friends but at the same time something more than that. They were… a new family. Frisk never knew any biological family besides their father. Yet, these monsters that they had only met at most weeks ago were more than happy to fill that void. They couldn’t be happier that this happened.

They decide to return to Waterfall. The phosphorescent crystals remind them of the stars above ground that their father loved so much.

They could lie here for hours. Twinkling crystals and the murmur of echo flowers, filled with everyone’s wishes… It’s a peaceful place. Despite the stone floor and blue light, it feels exactly the same as when their father would take them up to the top of the hill in the park and watch stars. Closing their eyes, they can practically hear his voice as he pointed out the constellations and planets.

Frisk didn’t realize that they fell asleep until they notice the stiffness in their limbs and a familiar hoodie draped over them like a blanket.

“heh. this is one of my favorite napping spots too.”

They stretch and sit up, feeling remarkably rested. Leave it to a place as atmospheric as Waterfall to make cave floors comfortable enough to sleep on!

“monsters like to think of the crystals like stars and make wishes on them. i dunno… it’s nice that we have something, but at the same time it doesn’t feel right that we have to use a substitute, you know?”

[I promise you. Monsters will see the real stars.]

“i believe ya, kid. you’ll do something that only you can do.”

[I want everyone to be able to do what dad and I would do every weekend… We’d go up on a hill and watch the night sky. I always fell asleep as he named every spot but he didn’t seem to mind. I think he knew how much I loved it even if I can’t speak and it’s hard to sign in the dark.]

“that’s a thing fathers will do.”

Frisk goes in for a hug. There’s something about this small skeleton, something that reminds them of their father. They can sense the genuine kindness despite everything. It’s a familiar and reassuring feeling.

[I’m going to make everything right. I don’t know how but I know I have to and will.]

-()-

There’s another anomalous space in Snowdin Forest. Frisk is glad that the force can detect it, since they can’t feel much out of the ordinary. Perhaps Gaster’s lonely hopelessness is being eased by their visits? They’d like to think so.

There’s a door next to the Ruins door. If normal geometry followed, it would run into the Ruins too, but there’s very little normal about this whole situation. Surely enough, another grey room awaits them and this time Gaster is already facing them, as if anticipating this.

[It’s nice to see you again!]

[You too, Frisk. That presence that follows you around told me to expect you soon, along with your name.]

[Really? That’s nice of them to do!]

[For being so powerful they seem rather nice… It is a pleasant surprise. When I asked for a name, they introduced themselves as The Player, saying that their “real” name is irrelevant.]

[Maybe they don’t like their “real name.” People like making fun of my name but just because I don’t mind doesn’t mean everyone else is like that.]

[Whatever reason they have I have a feeling that… they are the ones responsible for you being able to find me.]

[They must want everyone to be happy, too!]

Knowing that strong people can be kind to is always reassuring. Undyne is definite proof of that. Although she can be… intense… Frisk can tell that she means well. She won’t let anyone hurt her friends and that’s an endearing quality. Sometimes, people need protecting. Her care is expressed through standing up for her friends, like Frisk goes for hugs whenever they can sense that a friend needs them… or they just feel like showing their friends that they’re appreciated.

[Would you mind if I hugged you…?]

Gaster looks confused for a moment but then smiles. It’s been so long since he’s felt another’s touch and welcomes Frisk with open arms. It’s sort of like hugging gelatin, but the sentiment isn’t lost. Frisk is very happy with this. All too soon Gaster vanishes into nothingness, but another white shard is left behind. Examining this shard with the others that they’ve collected shows that the fit together. They can sense The Player guiding each piece into each other and when the edges touch, they fuse together! How curious! The combined shards look somewhat like a three with the middle filled in, but there’s still obviously something missing.

“One more.”

The Player’s voice is almost always a whisper. Smooth, calm and reassuring. It helps greatly, since Frisk has heard that normally mysterious voices are mean. For every rule there is an exception and The Player might just be that exception.

-()-

They can’t put it off any longer. They… have to face Asgore. They’ve heard so much about this king, some quite contradictory. On one hand, he seems like a merciless killing machine but on the other, he seems almost as caring as Toriel. Monsters are just as complex as people are. It’s frustrating because you can’t figure them out easily, even with the help of some extra-dimensional being… but it’s also nice. No, not nice but more… familiar? Yes. Monsters are like people in so many ways. It seems the only big difference between the two races is that almost every single monster has been kind to Frisk while almost every single human has made their life hard.

Frisk knows that the monsters wish to be free and the only way to do that is well… not the most pleasant for them. Maybe Asgore and the other monsters will be willing to wait until…? Then they could all live as the happy family that Frisk saw in stories! Monsters seem to live an awful lot longer than humans anyway so just maybe… they can have a family again and free them as a parting gift.

They’re filled with DETERMINATION as they enter the throne room to face Asgore, king of all monsters.

-()-

Gerson was right. Asgore is a huge pushover. He, just like Frisk, wasn’t meant for fighting. It doesn’t take very long to convince him to set down his trident and instead go in for a hug. It’s nice that monsters are generally okay with hugs! That’s really the best way that Frisk can demonstrate affection and kindness since they can’t really expect every single monster to know signs and charades. Everybody comes in. Undyne and Alphys even get close to showing their affection for each other! Of course Toriel had to break it up. They might be young but they’ve seen plenty of things far worse than two female monsters kissing. Still, it makes them happy that Alphys is finally getting the courage to show her feelings and true self. To expose yourself to others is to be vulnerable.

It’s all great until a familiar golden flower pops out of the ground. The Player seems to have anticipated this and guided Frisk away from spots where thorny vines erupted only moments later. Things couldn’t be easy, could they? It doesn’t matter, though. Frisk has to do this for all of their friends being shamelessly used for another’s goal. The flower changes into a goat monster with tear stripes oddly… reminiscent of Gaster’s cracks. Asriel is strong but by now Frisk is a professional at dodging even the trickiest of attacks.

It seems like Asriel was merely toying with them. Another surge of power and now he has glowing wings and absolutely terrifying looking claws. The raw energy radiating off of him is suffocating. It binds them to the spot. They can’t speak. They can’t move. It almost seems like the whole world is ending under the God of Hyperdeath’s reign.

“No. You can’t. Not now. You can rest soon but not now.”

It’s The Player once more. Warmth flows in and releases shackles.

“You are not alone. Your friends are all here. Reach out. They can help you, too.”

Thinking of all the different anime that you watched with Alphys seems to do something. A figure phases in and out of existence with her outline. Frisk asks the figure for their favourite scene in Mew Mew Kissie Cutie. They sign that they care about the figure no matter what they’ve done in the past. They ask for the figure’s help on a quiz. Suddenly the figure is solid and definitely Alphys. Seeing their friend again gives them the strength to reach out to another and another…

Now it’s Sans’ turn to be SAVEd. It took the most strength to reach out to him.

“just give up. i did.”

[Sans… I know that you know more about what I can do than everyone else. I don’t know how much but it clearly bothers you. I’m… sorry. I don’t know exactly what happened but sometimes when I’m alone I can see things that shouldn’t ever happen and… someone that looks like me is responsible for it.]

They walk over to the figure and sit down beside them like they always do.

[But you know what? Those times aren’t now. I’ve got… someone else watching my back. Someone who’s really nice. I know they won’t let me down. I know they won’t let me hurt my friends even if I wanted to.]

The errors and glitches begin to clear up from around the figure.

[We’re finally going to see the stars together.]

The figure returns to being Sans as they smile cheerfully.

“gonna hold you to that, kid.”

There’s still someone else who needs to be SAVEd, but Frisk doesn’t know how to. They never really knew Asriel. This time it’s The Player that reaches out. They seem to know something about him. Frisk can’t tell what The Player is doing, but it’s clearly working. Anger is fading and attacks weaken and eventually avoid Frisk.

Asriel shifts from intimidating to a small child monster in a striped sweater. With his strength now focused on the barrier and not Frisk, it shatters. 

“I’ve got to go soon. I can’t keep everyone’s souls inside me and without them I’ll go back to being a flower…”

Frisk shakes their head. The Player is going to do something to prevent that. The Player is going to make everyone happy. White engulfs the room. Then, The Player’s voice resounds in the blankness. Looking to their side, they find Asriel and a mysterious grey figure... Is that The Player finally making a physical appearance?

“You thought that you had no soul when in reality, it was merely splintered. Everywhere and everyone who was important to you drew these shards in. By taking everyone in, you took in those pieces, too. Now it’s simply a matter of putting things back together… and I’m rather fond of puzzles.”

-()-

Some time later, Frisk wakes up in a patch of golden flowers. All of their closest friends are gathered around and breathe a collective sigh of relief as they wake up. How long had they been out? That doesn’t really matter, as it was long enough to make them worry and that’s not good! They need to start making it up immediately with hugs!

“good to have ya back, kiddo.”

Looking around, Asriel is nowhere to be seen. They need to find him. He can’t be left behind. The Player and themselves promised that every monster would go free today, no matter what. The white object is also resonating with a strange energy. Is the last piece of it nearby? It takes some time, but eventually everyone knows that Frisk is perfectly fine and they have some business to attend to before heading up to the surface.

As Frisk travels back through the Underground, they come across all of the different monsters that they’ve helped out. Even the Amalgamates are back with their families! It makes them smile to see that even after fusion with other monsters, their families accept them gratefully. Things might be different, but they don’t mind. A part of that monster is their parent, friend or family and that’s more than enough to love all of them.

Eventually Frisk makes it back to where they fell. Sitting in the middle of the golden flowers is Asriel, looking confused.

“Frisk… How did that person do this…? How did they let me be me again…?”

[They’re strong. They can do things that nobody else can and find places that don’t normally exist. I’m glad that they use this power to make people happy since they deserve it!]

“We’re… going to live on the surface together. Everyone, even me. But do I deserve that? After all I’ve done?”

Frisk nods with a determined smile.

[Everyone makes mistakes, some bigger than others. If The Player believes in you, then you definitely deserve this.]

To prove it, Frisk goes for a hug. It feels much like Toriel’s hug, with fluffy ears and warmth radiating off him.

[There’s one last person I need to see and then we’ll be on the surface as one big family.]

The feeling of something being slightly out-of-place guides them to the final grey door, this one standing near the entrance of the ruins. The final piece of the white object is there in the middle of the room. As everything comes together, it becomes obvious that this is a cartoon heart… a soul. At long last, the man from behind the door can fully reform as himself. A skeleton, even taller than Papyrus, with elegant black duster jacket and white turtleneck appears before Frisk. There’s so much excitement! At last, EVERYONE is saved! Even the people who it seemed like it was impossible to save! The Player had just enough power to do so. Frisk was able to do most everything, but whenever they needed a little push, there they were to assist them. Frisk can feel The Player’s joy of finally allowing Gaster to exist again.

On that day, the Angel freed the Underground. Every single monster was able to see the surface. Every single one.


End file.
